Hello doc, Just had a question about Truvads. I switched from atripla after 3 days on pep because of really bad side effects and now im getting pretty bad ones on truvada. Im about 21 days in so very close to being done but Ive been having weird side effects like anxiety, waking up an hour after sleeping and hearing my heart beat. I take my pulse and it stays between 50-96 bpm but keep waking up an hour after sleeping even though I take the meds like 5 hours before going to bed. Also the acid reflux is a bit concerning and I think its related to the truvada. so my total side effects are :
Not sleeping well
acid reflux
anxiety
heart beat issues
little bit of feeling weak and sick sometimes (although this is sporadic)

Most of the issues seem to happen at bed time, i seem fine after I take for the first few hours.

Also curious about 2 other things. One, can I stop this pill before 28 days ( i think I only have 4 pills left so thats 26 days only total) and when is the earliest I can do an antibody test? 1 month after pep or 1 month after exposure?

Thanks in advance

Response from Dr. Young

Hello and thanks for posting.

It's pretty unusual for people taking Truvada for PEP to experience the side effects that you report.

I'd suggest talking to your care provider to see if the medication or another issue is causing the side effects.

FWIW, it's recommended to take PEP for the full 28 days; while data is incomplete, it's felt that shorter treatment duration is probably not as effective.

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